Mobile CCTV cameras are to be used in Carmarthenshire

The vehicle will be parked near playing fields, on housing estates and other locations were there are reports of anti-social behaviour.

It has been bought by the Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership which includes the county council and police.

But civil rights campaigners have raised concerns, warning there is little legislation to govern where the cameras can be located and that they could be misused.

The CCTV van can be stationed some distance away from the area it is monitoring - such as a park or street - and still zoom in on the site.

Surveillance should only be used when it is justified Liberty

Police operators are being trained before it goes out onto the streets.

Carmarthenshire Council Leader Meryl Gravell said the van had been bought as part of the partnership's drive to make the county a safer place to live.

"I am confident that this mobile van will help to cut down on crime in areas where there have been complaints from residents," she said.

"It can also help to give reassurance to people in places where there is, rightly or wrongly, a fear of crime.

"It is an excellent example of partnership working and how we can make a difference in Carmarthenshire," she added.

'Justified'

However, the civil rights group Liberty says there are already more CCTV cameras in the UK than anywhere else.

"The law has not kept up with technology," said a spokesman.

"Why do we have more CCTV cameras than almost anywhere in the world and yet no adequate law to regulate and make sure it's not misused?

"Surveillance should only be used when it is justified or you really won't know that the watchers are concentrating on the right people for the right reasons."